Smog wreaks havoc on travel in India’s capital, Delhi

Dense fog and severe air quality levels have caused travel chaos in India’s capital, Delhi.

Visibility in several areas was reported to be zero in the early hours of Friday, disrupting flights, trains and road transport.

More than 150 flights were delayed and dozens of trains were running late due to bad weather, reports said.

This is a repetitive a problem in northern India every winter, where cold temperatures between December and January trap pollutants close to the ground – which affects visibility – making travel difficult and the air dangerous.

Delhi’s air quality index was above 400 in several areas, according to government data Safar website. This is more than 25 times the safe limit set by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Authorities in the capital have rolled back pollution control measures that include a ban on construction and demolition activities, as well as online school classes.

Video and photos from Delhi and nearby cities showed a blanket of fog covering roads and farms and obscuring buildings.

The Delhi airport has issued an alert warning passengers of possible disruption due to low visibility.

“While landings and take-offs continue at Delhi airport, non-CAT III compliant flights may be affected,” consultative read. CAT III is a system that allows aircraft to land in low visibility conditions.

According to flight-tracking website Flightradar24, departures at Delhi airport were delayed by more than 30 minutes and arrivals by almost 20 minutes.

Several passengers took to social media to complain about the chaos at the airport.

“No upload output showing and no one seems to know the exact status,” wrote user X (ex twitter).

Meanwhile, 26 city-bound trains were delayed due to fog, Indian Railways said.

The India Meteorological Department has forecast light rain over the weekend, which is expected to improve visibility conditions.

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